To My Best Friend
by AoiCherry
Summary: Arthur and Kiku, the student council president and vice president. Everyone hates Arthur's guts and loves Kiku's polite charm, which always makes them wonder why the two of them are such close friends. Little did the student body know the feelings that run deeper than that of friendship, that both their president and vice president hold for each other. For AsaKiku Week Day 2.


**~To My Best Friend, With Love~**

 **Jan 26, 2016**

 **Written for AsaKiku Week Day 2: Gakuen AU**

* * *

"Your skirts are much shorter than what's allowed, according to the student handbook. You have too much jewelry dangling practically everywhere, and on top of that, you've been getting tardies for the past five days!"

At the gate of W Academy, a couple of teenage girls had their heads slightly bowed as they suffered the wrath of Arthur Kirkland, the extremely strict student council president. Other students rushed past them, trying to get to class in the nick of time, and not wanting to grab Arthur's attention. Kiku Honda, the vice president, stood next to Arthur, staying silent as the president continued to lecture the girls.

"At least we made it on time today," one of the girls retorted as she shot a glare at Arthur.

Arthur folded his arms and stared her down. Both girls shivered, feeling as if Arthur himself was making the temperature around them drop. "Making it here on time today means nothing compared to all the rules you two have broken. This is your third warning," Arthur hissed. He turned his back on the girls and then looked over his shoulder at them. "Make sure you don't get a fourth warning from me or else." With that, Arthur stalked away, his head held high.

The girls, immobilized by Arthur's glare and speech, started to hiccup and sniffle, with tears streaking down both of their cheeks. Just when they were about to leave, Kiku offered both of them a handkerchief.

"Please do not cry," Kiku coaxed. "Arthur-san is just doing his job as the president. It would be better if you two would not be late from now on and follow the rules in the student handbook, okay? Can you do that?"

After the girls dabbed their tears away, they immediately broke into smiles, as if they were never bothered by Arthur's lecture. "Of course Kiku! If that idiot Kirkland asked as nicely as you did, we would have listened to him too! We don't understand how you're even friends with him!"

Kiku chuckled. "Arthur-san cares about everyone in this school."

"It doesn't really seem like it," one of the girls murmured.

"He does," Kiku reassured. "So please do not think badly of him. He is trying his best to make this school a safe and comfortable space for everyone." Before the girls could ask him anymore things, he continued, "Shall we walk? Class is about to start and I do not think you would want to be late."

The girls nodded enthusiastically and flanked Kiku on both sides as they walked. They kept on asking Kiku about his club activities and how he was doing in school. Kiku, being the polite person he is, answered all of their questions patiently, but left some very personal questions answered, such as his love life.

* * *

"Thanks for the lunch, Kiku," Arthur said with a smile as he accepted the bento box from his friend. "You're always helping me out."

"It is my pleasure," Kiku answered. "I would feel very guilty if I had to keep watching you eat leftovers or charred food everyday."

Arthur coughed and glanced sideways in embarrassment. "My cooking's not **that** bad…"

Kiku brought out his own bento and the two of them started eating together in the student council room. Arthur pulled out some papers and mulled over them in one hand while he used the other to pick up food.

"Also Arthur-san, you may want to be less harsh on the students," Kiku advised.

"It's their own fault," Arthur defended. "And they're never going to listen to me if I'm not harsh with them."

"They will keep hating you, Arthur-san."

"I don't care," Arthur sighed. "To be honest, I don't even know why there are so many incompetent people in this school."

"Why do you act so different around the other students?" Kiku asked. "You are not a bad person at all, but you are giving them that impression."

"I really don't care what the others think. If they think of me as a demon, so be it. As long as I have you as a friend, I'm fine." Arthur replied nonchalantly.

Kiku fidgeted slightly as a small blush rose to his cheeks. The phrase "as long as I have you" kept repeating in his head. "I-I see."

"Everyone loves you though, Kiku," Arthur continued. "I'm sure they're wondering why someone like you is friends with someone like me."

"Like you, Arthur-san, I do not care what they think," Kiku said as he bit off a piece of his tamagoyaki. "They are very persistent, though."

"You need to learn how to say no," Arthur teased. "By the way, whatever happened to that girl who confessed to you last week?"

The Japanese student sighed. "I told her that I did not like her in that way and that I did not even know her that well and she started crying. I couldn't just leave her like that so I tried to calm her down, but she was very, very persistent."

"Hmm, I guess being popular isn't all that great either," Arthur mused. He quickly finished up his lunch, unexpectedly slammed down the lunch box, and continued to read his papers.

Kiku blinked a couple of times at Arthur's actions. " _I must have said something to make him angry,"_ Kiku thought.

"Arthur-san, don't you ever think of getting in a relationship?"

The Brit's eyes stopped scanning the paper and turned his attention to his friend. For a few seconds, Arthur and Kiku retained eye contact, but then both of them quickly looked away, both of them not realizing that the other was blushing slightly.

"W-Well, I don't have any...girls that I'm interested in. Plus, everyone hates me, and...I don't know if I'd want to get in an actual relationship," Arthur answered.

Kiku felt his heart sink a little. " _He does not want a relationship at all?"_

"To be honest, I do...er...fancy someone, but I'm not sure if he swings that way," Arthur confessed.

" _Ah, that's right,"_ Kiku remembered. " _Arthur-san did tell me once that he likes both men and women._ " Kiku gulped. " _How, and when do I tell him that I...I...like him as more than a friend?"_

"A-Anyway, sorry if I made you a bit uncomfortable, Kiku!" Arthur apologized. He started to put away his papers and the lunch box and then slung his bag over his shoulders. "I-I'm heading to class a tad early. I'll see you after school for the meeting, Kiku! Oh, and like always, I'll wash your lunch box and give it back to you later!"

After a flustered Arthur left the room in a hurry, Kiku continued to eat and finish up his lunch at his own pace. He then put away his lunch box and then fished out a letter, neatly pressed between the pages of his planner, from his backpack. The writing on the envelope read, "To my best friend" and the envelope seemed simple enough, but it was the letter inside that held Kiku's precious feelings.

" _When would be a good time?"_ Kiku wondered. " _I have a feeling that he was talking about me but...in the case that I am wrong, I do not want to ruin our friendship. Why...did I have to fall in love with my best friend?_ "

Kiku placed the letter back between the pages of his planner and put it away. He then slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked out of the student council meeting room and headed to class.

"私は弱虫ですね," Kiku muttered. (1)

* * *

After the meeting was adjourned, Kiku stayed behind to wait for Arthur and to help him clean up, like he always does. The only difference is that now, Kiku was feeling slightly nervous and kept fidgeting. His unusual actions caught Arthur's attention.

"Kiku, are you feeling okay?" The Brit asked, concerned about his friend.

"A-Ah, yes, I am. I am perfectly fine," Kiku replied. He saw that Arthur was obviously not convinced, so Kiku decided to get it over with. "A-Arthur-san, do you have some time to spare right now?"

"Of course. Is there something you wanted to talk about? You can confide in me about anything, you know that right, Kiku?" Arthur coaxed.

"Um, I do have something I want to tell you," Kiku said. He sucked in a breath and braced himself. Kiku took off his bag and stuck his hand inside to look for, and take out his planner. " _I will not back down. I will finish this today."_

He then pulled out his letter delicately, as if it was a precious sheet of gold. "Arthur-san, please-"

Before Kiku could continue, a couple of knocks interrupted him, making him sigh in frustration. The door creaked open slightly and one of the girls who got lectured by Arthur in the morning poked her head in.

Once her eyes landed on Kiku, she immediately broke into a smile. "Oh! I was looking for you, Kiku!" She invited herself in and closed the door behind her. "Do you mind if I talk to you for a while? It won't take long!"

Arthur and Kiku glanced at each other for a few seconds, as if they were communicating telepathically. Arthur broke eye contact first and said in a civil manner, "Kiku and I were having a conversation before you barged in so perhaps you could wait for a while?"

The girl's smile fell and she threw a dirty look at Arthur. "I have something really important to tell Kiku and it can't wait, so why don't you show yourself out, Mr. Student Body President?"

Arthur immediately got ticked off. "Why you rude little-"

"Please leave."

Both Arthur and the girl looked over at Kiku, not expecting the Japanese student to speak in such a cold tone.

The girl took a step forward. "K-Kiku? I just wanted to talk-"

"I will not ask another time. Please leave the room," Kiku interrupted. His voice pierced through the air dangerously. "Just like Arthur-san said, we were having a conversation before you arrived. So please, show yourself out and let me and Arthur-san finish our talk."

The girl, who was in a state of shock, blinked a couple of times. It took her a while to completely process Kiku's words, but once she did, she immediately burst into tears, stomped out of the room, and slammed the door behind her.

Kiku ran his hand through his hair and sighed again. "They do not get the definition of personal space."

"Wow. I never thought you could be so cold," Arthur commented. He then chuckled lightly, obviously amused by his friend's actions. "She definitely got the message this time. Hopefully she won't pester you again."

"I doubt she will," Kiku answered. He turned to face Arthur again and made sure he was looking into Arthur's green eyes.

Because Kiku's brown eyes were boring into his green ones so intently, Arthur started to nervously fidget. "Wh-What is it?"

"We have been friends for a very long time, Arthur-san. Almost six years," Kiku started. "I still remember when I first got here from Japan. You were one of the few people who were patient with me and who helped me improve my English. You were one of the few people who did not make fun of my mistakes, but instead calmly corrected me. I remember thinking that you were an extremely kind and bright person. You have helped me so many times in the past, and I am grateful for everything you have done for me."

Arthur was starting to become embarrassed by Kiku's praise. A shade of pink tinted his cheeks and his eyes flicked around to focus on other parts of the room, trying to avoid Kiku's intense gaze. "A-Ah, well, I couldn't leave you alone. You were a new student and you looked so lost."

"That is right. I was very lost," Kiku continued. "I remember that you did not have that many friends at that time since closest friend then had moved away, back to France. I recall that you were not very happy either. But you still put on a smile and befriended me, the Japanese student who couldn't speak much English. It just shows how much of a great person you are, Arthur-san."

Kiku's constant praise was just making Arthur even more embarrassed, since he hadn't received this many compliments before. Arthur managed to force himself to look at Kiku right in the eyes again, since he felt that it was rude to not maintain eye contact when Kiku was pouring out his feelings so seriously.

"I thought you were a very strong person. I still do. You do not care about what others think, and you keep making improvements to the school, even if that caused many people to misunderstand your actions and to resent you." Kiku took a deep breath and exhaled.

Arthur was still embarrassed, but so was Kiku. A blush was starting to become evident on Kiku's cheeks while his heart was starting to beat a mile a minute. With the letter in his hands, he pushed it towards Arthur, onto his chest. Now, Kiku was the one who kept his head down and break eye contact with Arthur. The wheels were turning in Arthur's brain now, and even he was starting to realize what this was leading to.

"Please accept this letter," Kiku whispered, with his eyes still facing the floor.

Arthur, who was blushing as well, placed his own hands over Kiku's smaller ones and pushed them away from his chest. Using one hand, the Brit then plucked the letter from Kiku's fingers and slid it in his uniform coat pocket while his other hand still grasped Kiku's hands.

Before Arthur could say anything, Kiku's head shot up, allowing Arthur to see Kiku's cheeks flushed with a beautiful shade of red. "I like you, Arthur-san."

Arthur stood there, with his hands still holding Kiku's, as he processed Kiku's confession. Kiku, thinking of the silence as a bad omen, tried to pull away from Arthur, but the Brit wouldn't let him.

"You haven't heard what I want to say yet, Kiku," Arthur reminded. Kiku stopped trying to get away, prompting Arthur to pull the Japanese student closer to him. Once Kiku was pressed up flush against Arthur, the Englishman let go of his hands and instead, wrapped his arms around Kiku's smaller frame. "First of all, I accept your letter. Second, you praise me so much, but you are a phenomenon yourself."

"I-I am definitely not," Kiku weakly retorted.

"You said I helped you when your English was still weak, but it was your own hard work that led you to where you are now. It must have been hard adjusting, but you kept going. You never seemed to have a moment of weakness. Now, look at you. You're the student council vice president, your English has improved tremendously, and you are basically the role model of this academy. Everyone loves you."

Now it was Kiku's turn to be embarrassed by Arthur's constant praise. He buried his face on Arthur's shoulder to try and calm himself.

Arthur continued, "You're always so kind to everyone and is willing to help anyone in need. You're extremely talented with electronics and culinary. You also have the patience of a saint." Arthur released his Kiku from his hug but still had his hands firmly gripping Kiku's shoulders. "In answer to your confession, I like you too, Kiku."

With that, the Japanese man buried his face in both of his hands while Arthur's eyes focused on the floor, both of them red from embarrassment. After a few seconds, both men refocused their attention on each other and burst out huge, dazzling smiles with a few chuckles.

"I like you, Arthur-san," Kiku repeated. "好きです. アーサーさんが大好きです." (2)

"俺も菊が大好きだ," Arthur mirrored, digging out his knowledge of the Japanese language from what Kiku had taught him. (3)

The two of them stepped closer and instinctively leaned in, as if they were the opposite ends of magnets being attracted to each other. Their noses touched, and their lips were just centimeters apart. Both of them then pushed forward, making their lips meet in a sweet and innocent kiss. Their arms soon wrapped around each other, bringing the duo closer together. They stayed that way for quite a while. Even when they pulled apart, they would lean in again for many more small kisses, both of them savoring the moment.

Being so engaged in their moment, they didn't even notice the knock and creak of the door opening.

"Oh my, I should just come back later," the janitor chuckled. He shut the door as silently as he could, giving the new couple some much needed privacy.

* * *

 **Hi guys! So I decided that I wanted to participate in the AsaKiku week on Tumblr, but I can't participate all 7 days because my classes and homework are hell. But I wanted to contribute to the AsaKiku fandom, so I decided to try and participate for three days! I love the Gakuen AU, so I decided to start from this prompt! My next two fics are going to be for the Cafe and Imperial prompts. If I have the time, I'll also write for the Cardverse prompt! I hope you all enjoyed this oneshot, and I also hope you'll continue to read my future fics! ^_^**

 **Also, sorry if the Japanese sentences bothered you. I just wanted to throw in some Japanese since I love learning the language so much and I thought that Kiku would speak in Japanese sometimes.**

 **Translations: (1): I'm a coward.**

 **(2): I like you. I like you a lot (I love you), Arthur-san.**

 **(3): I like you a lot too (I love you too), Kiku.**


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